Horizontally movable platform having a vertically movable carriage for oxygen steelmaking operations



Nov. 25. 1969 GREGQRD ETAL 3,480,267

HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE PLATFORM HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE CARRIAGE FOR OXYGEN STEELMAKING OPERATIONS Filed May 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORK moms GEEGMO FOB/5E7 cm/afs KAN/4 BY W 14 I we NOV. 25. 196$ GREGQRD E'TAL 3,489,267

HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE PLATFORM HAVING A VERTIGALLY MOVABLE CARRIAGE FOR OXYGEN STEELMAKING OPERATIONS Filed May 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS mums 6/?E60R0 United States Patent 3,480,267 HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE PLATFORM HAVING A VERTICALLY MOVABLE CARRIAGE FOR OXYGEN STEELMAKING OPERATIONS Thomas Gregord, Glenshaw, and Robert Charles Kania, Gibsonia, Pa., assignors to Koppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 16, 1967, Ser. No. 638,839 Int. Cl. C21c 5/32, 5/46; B66c 19/00 US. Cl. 266-34 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In an oxygen steel making process, a high velocity stream of oxygen, or fuel and oxygen, is blown through a lance onto the surface of a bath of molten pig iron. The oxygen is ejected from the lance in transonic and supersonic ranges. As the oxygen strikes the surface of the molten bath of metal, chemical reactions are initiated with the impurities in the pig iron. These reactions. in turn, violently agitate and buffet the bath. The combined influences of the reaction in the vessel and the thrust caused by the ejecting oxygen or fuel oxygen tends by reactive force to produce violent rotating and rocking actions in the lance which in turn induce severe vibrations in the lance and its attendant equipment.

The practice in an oxygen steelmaking process is first to proceed through a preheat operation in which a mixture of oxygen and fuel is blown as a high-heat flame on the charge in the vessel to bring the charge to the desired temperature. Thereafter the fuel is stopped and substantially pure oxygen is blown onto the bath to complete the conversion of the molten metal to steel. The temperatures in the final blowing step are much higher than those in the first. The temperature of the final blow approaches 3,500 degrees F. and for safety reasons it is best to have a separate preheat lance for blowing a mixture of fuel and oxygen, and a separate lance for blowing pure oxygen.

Obenchain, US. Patent 3,170,977 shows two separate lances for a steel making operation. These lances along with their attendant holders, carriages, guide frames, pulleys, Winches, etc. are mounted in and on an elaborate space consuming strut and truss reinforced frame. The lances and their attendant equipment are movable horizontally within the frame on a wheel supported carriage and are guided by pairs of guide wheels set in a frame at the top of the apparatus. Much of the apparatus shown in Patent No. 3,170,977 has a permanent position, and thus presents a problem when it is necessary to perform work on the steel making vessel which it services, for example, when it is necessary to place a relining work tower over the steel making vessel in order to reline the inside of the furnace. A further disadvantage of the patented apparatus is that vibrations in the lance during blowing tend to be transmitted to the frame and attendant equipment, which tendency may eventually loosen component parts of the structure.

3,480,267 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 This invention provides a novel apparatus for handling lances for an oxygen steel making vessel such as an oxygen steel converter. A platform is located in a position above the oxygen steel converter and is movable in a horizontal direction along two spaced apart supporting and guiding rails. The platform, itself, carries one or more lance holding carriages which can be raised and lowered to move a lance out from and into the oxygen steel converter.

In one embodiment of the invention, a horizontally movable platform cooperates with a rigidly fixed guide for the carriages. As the carriage and lance pass from the platform, the fixed guide brings the lance into an optimum position with respect to the charge in the oxygen steel converter. The fixed guide rail is isolated from contact with the platform so that it absorbs all vibrations in the lance during the blowing operation, thereby isolating and insulating the platform itself from stress due to vibrations during the blowing operation. The maintenance free life of the apparatus of the invention far exceeds any prior art lance-handling apparatus since it is isolated from lance vibrations during the blowing operation.

The novel lance-handling platform of the invention and its associated apparatus e.g. lances and carriages, travels along parallel spaced-part support and guide rails to any selected position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of this invention shown relative to an oxygen steel converter;

FIGURE 2 is substantially a view taken on line II-II of FIGURE 1, illustrating the carriage drive section of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is substantially a sectional view taken on line IIIIII of FIGURE 1, illustrating the platform drive section of the embodiment of the invention of FIGURE 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The embodiment of the invention herein is illustrated in FIGURE 1 in association with a conventional steel making vessel such as oxygen converter 9 whose hood 10 has an opening 11 for the entrance and exit of lance 12 into and out from the converter 9.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the invention comprises generally a platform designated generally as 7; means including motor 44, rail 53, and rail 54 for moving platform 7 horizontally to selected positions relative to the oxygen converter 9; a carriage 13; a first guide 18 fixed to one side of platform 7 for guiding vertical movement of carriage 13; means including motor 24 and accessories such as cable and sheave 101 supported by platform 7 for moving carriage 13 vertically; and a second guide 6 for constraining the vertical movement of carriage 13 toward and away from converter 9 and for cooperating with first guide 18 to isolate platform 7 from stress due to vibrations during the oxygen or oxygen-fuel blowing operation in the converter 9.

As motor 24, FIGURE 2, operates, cable 100 is wound and unwound over a drum. Cable 100 passes around sheave 101 and is attached at its dead end to a suitable device 102 which may be, for example, an equalizer bar when a pair of cables and sheaves for each carriage is used. (Refer to FIGURE 2 for equalizer bar 102 and to FIGURE 3 for sheave pairs 101.) Sheave 101 is opera'bly attached to carriage 13 whereby as motor 24 winds and unwinds cable 100, carriage 13 moves its attendant lance into and out from converter 9.

The phantom view in FIGURE 1 shOWs lance 12 and carriage 13 on fixed guide 6 in position for blowing oxygen or a fuel-oxygen mixture onto the charge in the steel making vessel 9.

Lower guide 6 which constitutes the second guide for vertical movement of carriage 13 cooperates with first guide 18 which is fixed to platform 7 in guiding the vertical travel of carriage 13 and lance 12 into and out from the converter 9. Guide 6 is fixed rigidly to a suitable support such as shown at 119. Guide 6 and its support 119 are totally isolated from contact with platform 7, so that stresses set up in guide 6 are not transmitted to platform 7. Therefore, when lance 12 and carriage 13, shown in phantom view inFIGURE 1, are in position to blow oxygen into the converter 9, the vibrations set up in the lance during the blow will not be transmitted to platform 7 which is isolated from contact with guide beam 6.

Platform 7 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 has both "a platform drive section 22 and a carriage drive section 23. Both sections are of generally rectangular shape.

The embodiment of carriage drive section 23 of platform 7, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, handles three lances 12, 112 and 212. Each lance is raised and lowered by means of a motor 24 and gear reducers 25 by means of cables 100 wound on drum 27. The winding and unwinding of the cables on the drums is controlled in part by respective brakes 28. Carriage drive platform section 23 itself may be of any suitable construction material such as poured concrete, wood, steel and the like.

Referring to FIGURE 3, carriages 13, 113 and 213 hold lances 12, 112 and 212 in place by way of clamps 14, 114, and 214. These carriages are mounted on wheels 16 designed to run in tracks 17 mounted in guide beams 18, 118 and 218 which are rigidly afiixed to the foremost member 43 of the platform section 22. Those guide beams constitute a first guide for vertical movement of the carrrages.

Platform sections 22 and 23 which make up the novel horizontally movable platform are maintained in spaced relation by posts 19, 21, 61, 62, 68 and 69.

FIGURE 3 illustrates the details of platform drive section 22, including drive motor 44 and rails 53 and 54- for guiding and supporting platform 7. Those rails provide the sole support for platform 7 and its attendant apparatus. Frame members 20, 40, 41, 42 and 43 are rigidly secured together such as by welding to form the skeleton frame of platform drive section 22 of platform 7. Motor 44 is mounted on support 45 which is rigidly attached to members 40 and 42. Motor 44 rotates shafts 46 which drive wheels 50 through a transmission composed of gear reducer 51 :and gears 52. Wheels 50 are alined and at opposite ends of the platform and ride on guide and support rail 53.

The rear portion of platform section 22 herein illustrated as being composed of member 40 and supports 21, 61 and 62 is through adapters 55 operably attached to guide pipe and support rail 54. Adapter 55, referring also to FIGURE 1, partially surrounds pipe rail 54 to prevent the platform from tipping along rail 53, a natural fulcrum for the entire apparatus. Adapter 55 contains bearings 56 such as thrust hearings to aid in movement along pipe rail 54. The operation of motor 44 drives wheels 50 and thereby moves platform 7 to selected horizontal loca tions along the path of travel defined by rails 53 and 54. Rails 53 and 54 are preferably spaced apart and parallel to provide optimum support for platform 7 as it travels along the rails.

During a steel making operation lance 12 is a preheat lance and lance 112 is the oxygen blow lance. Motor 44 drives platform 7 to the proper position along the travel of guide and support rails 53 and 54 for lowering preheat lance 12 into the oxygen steel converter 9, that is, to a position such that guide 18 fixed to platform 7 and guide 6 are in line. Then, as motor 24 is activated to lower carriage 13' and lance 12 into converter 9 the carriage and lance first pass through guide 18 and then are received by guide 6 which properly positions the lance for the blowing operation. During the blowing operation each carriage and its respective lance is in the position shown in phantom in FIGURE 1.

Vibrations are set up in lance 12 during the blowing operation due to the jet of gases exiting from the lance and the reactions taking place in the vessel. These vibrations are transmitted to the carriage and through the carriage to guide beam 6. As is shown in FIGURE 1, guide beam 6 is isolated from contact with platform 7. All of the vibrations and stresses due to the blowing operation are absorbed by fixed guide 6 and its support 119. Platform 7 is thereby completely isolated and insulated from stress during the blowing operation. Thus, its maintenance free life is considerably increased over that of a conventional lance handling apparatus which must absorb vibrations in the lance and which is subject to stresses caused by vibrations set up in the lance during the blowing operation.

After the preheat operation, lance 12 is raised from converter 9 to platform 7. Platform 7 is then moved over rails 53 and 54 to position lance 112, the oxygen glow lance, and its guide 118 into a cooperating relationship with guide 6, and the blowing operation described above is repeated.

The third lance 212 shown in the embodiment of the invention described herein is a spare lance. Due to the intense heat associated with the blowing operation and the distortions in the lance caused by expansion and contraction with temperature changes and the corrosive action of the gases upon the lance, lances often fail during the blowing operation and it is necessary to replace them to complete the blow. With the novel apparatus of the invention, the damaged lance is simply withdrawn from the converter, and the platform moved along its support and guide rails to properly position spare lance 212 which is then lowered into the converter. It is evident from the above that the novel apparatus of this invention results in a minimum loss of time and heat in case of lance failure.

A steel converter has a limited useful life before it is necessary to do extensive maintenance work on it. For example, it is necessary to reline the converter approximately after every seven or eight days of operation. In order to perform the relining operation, a relining tower is positioned over the vessel. The tower takes up considerable space and it is therefore necessary to move the lances and their attendant equipment out of the way, which in many cases requires dismantling the oxygen-blowing equipment. The horizontally movable lance holding platform of this invention is well suited to the relining practice since it is merely necessary to activate the platform drive motor 44 and move the platform over its guide and support rails to an out of the way position from the converter. In fact, rails 53 and 54 and guide 6 may form a part or all of the support and locating means for a relining tower.

Theactual positioning of the lance handling platform of the invention may be, of course, controlled manually, or by any conventional automatic control system.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific details illustrated in the preferred embodiment herein, but that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A lance handling apparatus for an oxygen steel making vessel comprising:

(a) a platform comprised of upper and lower sections,

(b) a pair of wheels at one side of the lower section of said platform,

(0) a hearing at the other side of said lower section of said platform,

(d) a pair of spaced apart rails, one of said rails cooperating with said wheels and the other of said rails cooperating with said bearing,

(e) a first motor mounted on said lower section of said platform for operating said wheels to move said platform along said rails, whereby said rails both support and guide said platform,

(f) a carriage for holding a lance,

(g) a second motor mounted on said upper section of said platform for moving said carriage,

(h) a first guide between said upper section of said platform for moving said carriage,

(i) a second guide for cooperating with said first guide for receiving said carriage for further vertical movement beyond said platform.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second guide is independent from said first guide so as to isolate vibrations from said first guide.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second motors are electric motors.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wheels are at opposite ends of said platform side and a common drive connects said wheels to said first motor.

5. A platform comprising upper and lower sections, each of said sections being of generally rectangular shape, posts for maintaining said sections in vertically spaced apart planes, a vertical guide extending between said sections, a carriage movable vertically on said vertical guide, said carriage having means for fixedly holding an oxygen lance thereto, means connected With said upper section for moving said carriage, a rail below said lower section for supporting said platform, wheels between said lower section and said rail for the movement of said platform horizontally, a circular pipe rail for supporting said platform and cooperating with said rail for guiding horizontal movement of said platform, a bearing attached to said lower section for coacting with said pipe rail to maintain said platform in a preset plain of horizontal movement, power means for moving said carriage and power means for moving said platform, said platform being characterized by the absence of any other support or guide means;

6. Lance handling apparatus for an oxygen steelmaking vessel comprising:

(a) a platform;

(b) means for moving said platform laterally to selected positions including (i) a first guide and support rail,

(ii) a wheel mounted to one side of said platform and coactive with said rail,

(iii) a second guide and support rail disposed in spaced apart substantially parallel relation to said first rail,

(i-v) thrust bearings mounted to said platform in a location opposite said wheel and coactive with said second guide and support rail;

(0) a carriage having a lance mounted thereto;

(d) means for moving said carriage vertically;

(e) a first guide means fixed to one side of said platform for guiding vertical movement of said carriage; and

(f) second guide means for guiding vertical movement of said carriage and cooperating with said first guide for isolating said platform from stress during the oxygen and oxygen-fuel blowing operation in said vessel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,025,047 3/1962 Reinfield et al. 3,250,402 5/1966 De Ligt 212-128 3,366,376 1/1968 Marino.

J. SPENCER OVERH-OLSER, Primary Examiner .T. S. BROWN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R: 

